The film debuted at the festival two days before its June 14 online debut
Kodoani.com – Netflix officially announced on Monday that the animated film Ultraman: Risinga unique Ultraman CG production, will have its world premiere at this year's Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 12, before being broadcast online on June 14. The film will also have a screening “Making Of” panel discussion with the participation of director Shannon Tindle, co-director John Aoshima, art director Sunmin Inn, VFX supervisor Hayden Jones and composer Scot Stafford on June 13.
This year's Annecy will take place from June 9 to 15 in the French town of the same name. Founded in 1960, Annecy is the world's oldest and largest animation festival.
Shannon Tindle, who animated Coraline and Kubo and the Two Strings, will direct the film, with assistance from co-director John Aoshima. Tsuburaya Productions and Industrial Light and Magic are credited as production companies. Tindle also co-wrote the script with Marc Haimes. Tom Knott is the producer and Lisa Poole is the co-producer. The film is inspired by the characters of Eiji Tsuburaya (Godzilla, Ultraman).
The production team is focusing on combining Japanese and Western stars, along with a large number of lower-level talent from Japan. The cast includes Christopher Sean, Gedde Watanabe, Tamlyn Tomita, Keone Young and Julia Harriman.
Tsuburaya describes the film's content as follows:
“Baseball superstar Ken Sato returns to his native Japan to take up the mantle of Earth-protecting superhero Ultraman, but quickly discovers more than he bargained for when forced to raise his enemy's child.” Struggling to balance the roles of teammate and new father, Ken must confront his own ego, his estranged father, and the devious Kaiju Defense Force. Rise up and discover the true meaning of being an Ultraman.”
Netflix previously aired an Ultraman CG anime based on the Ultraman (2011) manga by Eiichi Shimizu and Tomohiro Shimoguchi in April 2019. Kenji Kamiyama and Shinji Aramaki directed the anime at Production IG. The final season of the Ultraman Final anime premiered worldwide on Netflix in May 2023.
Studio Khara's Shin Ultraman debuted in Japan in May 2022 and ranked No. 1 in its first weekend. The film grossed a total of $601,490 when it opened in the US in January 2023, and was also shown in the UK, Ireland and Canada.